Where did we get the twenty-six letters and variety of handwriting styles we use today? It’s humbling to think about the distance writing has traveled across the centuries and the diverse needs of the many cultures it has served. Just as our lifestyles, traditions, and innovations are always changing, handwriting has been dramatically altered by progress and cultural shifts.
From the early beginnings of hieroglyphs, carved on stone by the Egyptians (3000 B.C.), handwriting evolved to the Phoenician writing system (1500 B.C.), which was comprised of twenty-two phonetic symbols. When the Roman Empire conquered Greece and rose to power, they borrowed from the Greeks to create a twenty-three-letter alphabet for carving into stone and writing on parchment scrolls.
The letters U, W, and J were added to the Roman alphabet in the tenth, twelfth, and fifteenth century, respectively, to bring the count up to the twenty-six letters we know today. In the sixteenth century, England was rapidly advancing in commercial trade and needed scribes for business writing and record keeping. Special schools to teach penmanship sprouted up in order to meet the growing demand for an efficient, legible form of writing. Because the heads of the schools were in sharp competition with each other in their efforts to attract students, they produced an abundance of copy books. These renowned penmen filled their pages with virtuous sayings and flowery advertisements trying to outdo other schools with their writing prowess.
fun facts
Egyptians and Sumerians were among the first to invent writing systems. The Egyptians used hieroglyphics, a form of picture writing, which they carved into stone, while the Sumerians designed a system of writing in clay called cuneiform. Unlike the twenty-six letters in the modern English alphabet, some one thousand characters were employed in these ancient writing systems.
A couple of centuries later, with literacy on the rise and public schools in session, there was a need for a more efficient system of teaching handwriting to the general population. Platt Rogers Spencer (1800–1864) made it his life’s ambition to meet this need.
Considered the father of American penmanship, Spencer was obsessed with handwriting. Even as a young child, he practiced his penmanship on scraps of leather and birch bark, and used a stick to write letters in sand or snow. Over years of meticulous practice, he developed the Spencerian hand that became known for both its elegance and its practicality. The ovals and gentle swooping lines that are prolific in Spencerian writing were drawn from Spencer’s observation of rounded stones and waves. By 1850, Spencerian was the standard writing system taught in American schools.
An example of Spencerian capitals.
By the late 1800s, however, Spencerian was losing traction because Austin Norman Palmer (1860–1927) developed an alphabet that was faster and more practical and allowed the hand to write for longer periods without getting tired. To promote his method, he published the award-winning Palmer’s Guide to Business Writing, which went on to sell one million copies. Schools soon picked up the methodology, and the Palmer hand was taught from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
fun facts
In the 1700s, books were reproduced by a method called copperplate engraving. An engraver worked with a sharp wedge-shaped tool called a burin, to etch the letters and designs onto a metal plate. The reversed design was slathered with a thick ink, which was rubbed into the etched lines. Then the plate was wiped down thoroughly and rolled through a press onto paper. The detailed process produced Roundhand letters, distinguished by the elegant contrast of delicate hairlines with heavy downstrokes.
By the 1950s, the Palmer method had fallen by the wayside in American schools. Educators now favored children learning how to print before learning cursive, and other styles such as the Zaner-Bloser method stepped in to meet the new demand. Still used in schools to this day, this system teaches a standard vertical printing style and a slanted cursive.
Teaching handwriting in schools has been rapidly declining in the twenty-first century, as computers, cell phones, and other technology take precedence in students’ daily lives. Forty-one of the fifty states have adopted the Common Core Curriculum Standards, which leave cursive out of the required subject matter. Lawmakers, educators, parents, and other citizens continue to debate the merits of spending time on handwriting instruction in our high-tech world. Proponents of handwriting argue that technology can’t replace the benefits of cursive, and cite research done by psychologists and neuroscientists to support their claims. Since the Common Core Standards were launched in 2009, over a dozen states have passed laws mandating cursive instruction in the classroom, affirming the value in students learning to sign their names and read historical documents.
Handwriting has always provided important clues to culture and society norms. We can look between the lines to discover where we have been and what we value. Those who have discovered the love and beauty of creating letters by hand will continue spreading the word, while the changing climate of handwriting continues its unpredictable course through history.
fun facts
We’re happy with once-a-day postal delivery, but in the days when snail mail was at its peak, some locations received over half a dozen mail deliveries a day! In 1922, the top business districts in Brooklyn and Philadelphia kept postal workers running to provide seven deliveries a day. In 1950, mail delivery was reduced to one trip a day in residential areas, but businesses continued to receive extra deliveries for a few more years.
Before you get started, I’d like to introduce you to a few basic terms we’ll be referring to throughout the book.
Guidelines are simply lines to help you write straight and keep your letters within a designated framework. The ones we will be using in the book are a little more detailed than basic notebook paper—they have additional lines showing where the tops and bottoms of your letters should land. You can use guidelines that are directly on your writing sheet, or place them behind a blank sheet that is transparent enough to see the lines through. Some guideline templates also include slant lines that cross through the horizontal lines at regular intervals to enable writers to slant all their letters to the same degree.
A majuscule is an uppercase or capital letter and a minuscule is a lowercase letter.
The base line is an important guideline for both uppercase and lowercase letters, as the letters will (in most cases) sit directly on this line. This will make your writing easier to read and also give it a neater appearance.
The x-height is the height of the lowercase x, a, c, e, m, n, and other letters that do not have ascenders or descenders.
An ascender is the portion of the lowercase letter that extends beyond the waist line, while a descender is the part of the letter that drops below the base line.
The waist line provides a boundary for the top of the x-height letters and a reference point for letters containing ascenders and descenders. For example, in the letters d and g, the rounded part of the letter will stop at the waist line, while the stem continues up or down.
The ascender line marks the spot where the tall stem in letters such as b, d, f, k, and l will touch. If the ascenders are too short, they can easily be confused with other letters. The descender line marks the bottom of the letters g, j, p, q, y, and the cursive f.
A counter is the enclosed space within a letter, such as in an o, a, or d.
Ductus, the Latin word for “leading,” shows the sequence and direction of the strokes that make up a letter.
Flourishing is the extra embellishment that you can incorporate into your handwriting, often at the end of ascenders, descenders, and downstrokes, or on the cross bars (horizontal strokes) of letters such as A, H, t, and f.
As your handwriting practice gains momentum, you might be surprised by how you will notice the hand lettering and typography around you with new interest. Carry a small notebook to jot down inspiration and ideas when they strike. Taking pictures of letters is one method of gathering ideas—for example, in signage or other typography that catches your eye. But I have found that it’s even more helpful to take my own pencil to paper as often as possible to try improvising an alphabet for a fascinating letter I come across. I also have an alphabetical index file where I store the letters that I’ve written and don’t want to forget. This way, when my ideas are at a low, I can turn to my collection for inspiration.
The tools required for handwriting are simple items you most likely already have: pencils, pens, paper, and a few optional accessories. There are so many types of writing utensils, however, and the one you choose can make a huge difference in your enjoyment of practicing. Take your time experimenting—it’s worth the investment to find a high-quality pen or pencil that fits comfortably in your hand and that you enjoy using.
Pencils
If you prefer using a pencil, they work great for practicing. It can be confusing figuring out the grading system on pencils, so here’s a brief overview. There are two grading scales referring to the graphite in pencils:
1. The first is numerical, with the number representing the hardness of the core. A lower number means that the core is softer and will produce darker lines.
2. The second grading system uses letters: H for hardness, B for blackness. HB is considered equivalent to an average Number 2 pencil, but different brands have their own regulations. A high number after the H means a harder core, while a high number following a B means a softer core.
Although they are blacker, the disadvantage to soft pencils is that they need to be sharpened more frequently. Hard pencils hold their point longer and will leave lighter, sharper lines. You may want to experiment with several brands and grades to find out what you like best. There are many more, but a few recommended pencils are Blackwing, Staedtler Norica, and Staedtler mechanical pencil.
Pens
You will also want to experiment to find a pen that you enjoy using when you practice handwriting. Make sure the pen feels comfortable in your hand and writes smoothly, without scratching, blotching, or smudging. If you use a lot of pressure when you write, keep that in mind when selecting a pen to write with. Try a variety of types, and find what helps you lessen the pressure exerted through your fingers, hand, and wrist. After writing with a few different pens, take a look at the results. When you find a pen that makes your writing look fantastic, you will be more likely to keep up with your practice.
handwriting heroes
George Clooney, famous actor, director, and writer, revealed that he uses pen and paper for all his projects. “I’m probably the least computer literate writer there is.…Literally when I cut and paste, I cut pages and tape them together.”
For pens, try Uni-ball Vision or Signo, the Pentel EnerGel, or you can experiment with Microns, Faber-Castell, and Paper Mate Liquid Expresso pens. If you don’t already own a fountain pen, try one as soon as you can! The right tool can be magical, and a good fountain pen takes handwriting to a whole new level. A Lamy Safari fountain pen, with a refillable ink reservoir, is one I recommend. It’s easy to refill and has nifty built-in contours for finger placement that make it comfortable to hold (try out several different brands in a pen store, if possible, before you decide which one to buy). Besides being really fun to write with, it enables me to write for long periods of time. The Pelikan Classic M205 is another fountain pen brand you might want to check out, as well as the Scribe Sword, the Faber-Castell Ambition, and the Kaweco Classic Sport Guilloch 1930. The Platinum Preppy is a disposable fountain pen that is easy on the budget, while many fountain pens use easy-to-replace cartridges, if you prefer that style.
fun facts
The first ballpoint pens in the US hit the market in 1945 as an alternative to fountain pens, which use nibs and cartridges for filling the ink. The public enthusiastically embraced the new pens when they were introduced, and quickly converted to the ball bearing point, which dispensed the ink and didn’t need refilling as often as a fountain pen. Later, disposable ballpoint pens replaced the refillable versions.
Paper
It’s best to use lined paper for most of your practice, with detailed guidelines in place if you like the extra lines for keeping ascenders and descenders at a uniform height. I use an assortment of notebook or loose-leaf paper, Rhodia pads (lined or dotted), graph paper, and Moleskine or other lined journals. If you prefer unlined paper, use a weight that is transparent enough for you to put a sheet of guidelines behind. And remember to save a compilation of these practice sheets, so you will be able to look back and see your progress. You will be amazed at how much you can improve in a short time.
Optional Tools
A slant board allows you to work on a sloped surface if you prefer that over writing flat. Some people are also greatly helped by a pencil grip made with flexible plastic or rubber, which slips on your writing utensil and makes it easier to keep a good hold if the pencil feels too narrow or slippery. If you find that your hand cramps easily or gets sweaty when writing, a pencil grip may be more comfortable and enable you to write for a longer time.
It’s surprising how many varied and creative ways exist for holding a pen, but we’ll cover the most common holds and discuss when to change a pen hold.
A. Dynamic Tripod Grasp This is the most common and recommended pen hold. The pen is held between three fingers: the index finger, thumb, and middle finger. The ring finger and pinky curl inward toward the palm and support the hand. With the fingers able to move freely, this grasp is an effective one for producing accurate writing. The pen is held at an angle, but the point of the writing utensil is in contact with the paper. Because it is easy to learn, the dynamic tripod grasp is the pen hold most often taught in schools.
B. Dynamic Quadrupod Grasp This pen grasp is similar to the tripod, except four fingers are in contact with the pen, rather than three: the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. Only the pinky supports the hand.
C. Lateral Tripod Grasp This pen hold is similar to the dynamic tripod, except the open space in the cup of the hand is closed off by the thumb curling back over the index finger. The hand may become more cramped and tire more quickly when using a lateral grasp.
D. Lateral Quadrupod Grasp This pen hold involves the index, middle, and ring fingers, with only the ring finger supporting the hand, and the thumb wrapping over the pencil to rest on the index finger, similar to the lateral tripod grasp.
E. Adapted Tripod Grasp The pencil is placed between the index and middle finger of a cupped hand, held by the thumb and index finger tips and resting on the middle finger. The pencil is held more upright when writing. This pen hold may be unconventional, but does allow for both freedom of movement and stability. Occupational therapists sometimes recommend this grasp for their patients with tremors and arthritis, and it helps alleviate cramped hands, illegible writing, and discomfort. It’s particularly helpful if your thumb tends to get sore when writing. This grip is also called the Modified or D’Nealian Pen Grasp.
Which Grasp Is Right for You?
All of the pen holds shown here are functional, and there is no need to change how you hold the pen if you are comfortable and satisfied with your results.
practice tips
If you tend to clench your pen too tightly and your hand gets tired quickly, here’s a trick to help train your hand to relax. Grip a pen or cap or some other object in your non-writing hand (a sharpened pencil works well, because you can grip it while pressing it into a piece of paper, but experiment to find what works for you). It’s hard to maintain a tight grip with both hands, so your writing hand will naturally loosen up.
There are several inefficient grasps, however (such as holding the pen in your palm with fingers clenched around it), that can make it difficult to write for any length of time and to write at a normal speed. If you have stress on your joints, or any pain or stiffness, it may be caused by your pen hold. An improper pen hold can also contribute to fatigue or illegible handwriting. If you run into any of those issues, consider adapting your pen hold to one of the efficient grasps just described.
Having good posture when handwriting will prevent strain on your body and help your writing look its best. Make sure you are seated comfortably with your elbows at about a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Ideally, you want to have a table or desk in front of you, so you can rest your hands on a hard surface. Relax your arms and shoulders, and avoid hunching over your work.
Some people have a hard time maintaining good posture when they are working on a flat table or desktop. If writing on a level surface is uncomfortable for you, try using a slant board. You can experiment with the angle that works best for you, but aim for less than a 45-degree slant.
No matter what style of surface you use, make sure your writing arm has enough space to move freely. Take a break to stretch (flex your hands, then roll your wrists, shoulders, and neck) every few minutes, or whenever you feel that tension or stiffness has been building. When writing, try to think about including your entire arm and wrist along with your fingers so both large and small muscle groups are working together.
Always aim to have your tools and paper work for you, not against you. When you are relaxed, you can then align your tools to fit your ideal posture. How you position your paper will help tremendously in writing more naturally and comfortably. (If you’ve ever had to write something while riding in a car, you’ll know that ideal conditions are important for legibility as well!)
Position your paper at an angle that is comfortable for you—tilted to the right if you are left-handed, and to the left if you are right-handed, at a good balance so your elbow isn’t sticking out too far or cramped too close to your body. Once you start writing, it’s tempting to tweak your posture as you progress down the page. Instead, slide the paper to keep the line you are working on in the optimal zone for your hand and forearm.
A tripod, or three-finger grip, works best for left-handedness. Hold your pen or pencil between your thumb and forefinger and rest it on your middle finger. Grip your pen at least two finger tips away from the tip of your pen. Triangular-shaped pencils are a great resource to help maintain a tripod grasp. Both Faber-Castell and Staedtler carry triangular pencils that are especially helpful for left-handedness.
Tilt your page to the right and make sure you have sufficient space on your left to be able to move your arm comfortably. You may also find it easier to use loose-leaf paper rather than spiral-bound notebooks, or buy notepads that are top bound, such as Maruman Mnemosyne or Rhodia notebooks. Choose smooth paper to prevent the writing utensil catching on the page. (Handmade paper is an extreme example of paper that’s not smooth, but even among “regular” paper, you can notice variations in smoothness. For example, a premium LaserJet paper will be smoother than regular copy paper.) You can also use quick-dry notebooks with more absorbent paper—a good choice is Doane Paper Grid + Lines Flap Jotter notepads. This is a great help if your left hand tends to smear your ink as you move across the page.
Choose a pen with fast-drying ink, which also helps guard against smudging. The Uni-ball Jetstream ballpoint pen is good for left-handers, with specially formulated ink that dispenses smoothly with little pressure and dries super quickly. Also, because you are pushing the ink across the page, rather than pulling it like someone who is right-handed, it’s crucial to have a pen with smooth-flowing ink. Experiment with rollerball ink pens, non-smudge felt-tip pens, or fountain pens that are specially designed for left-handers. If you have trouble with your hand blocking your letters, you can also find pens that have angled tips, which allow you to maintain a comfortable grip as well as view what you are writing without hooking your arm around your writing.
fun facts
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, librarians were required to use a special handwriting style that was designed specifically for writing catalog card entries. Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System, helped to establish the Library Hand. Dewey and his comrades frowned on librarians using any personal flair or flourishing in their penmanship, demanding that they scrupulously adhere to their rules for writing.